Process of reducing crude petroleum.



c. FORWARD. PROCESS OF REDUCING CRUDE PETROLEUM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 23.1916.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

nvmvron 5. FORWARD.

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Arman/m PROCESS E REDUCING CRUDE PETROLEUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23, 1916. Serial No. M3357.

fl 0 all whom it may concern.

]Be it known that I, CrrAUNoaY FORWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaagn and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Reducing Crude Petroleum, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of reducing crude petroleum and 1ts residua to a light volatile oil suitable for use in internal combustion engines or any other purpose for which such an oil can be used, and is an improvement upon' the process of treating crude petroleum set forth in my application for Letters-Patent of the United States, filed May 24, are, Ser. No. 29,996, Patent No. 1,189,083 of June 27, 1916, the object being to obtain a materially increased amount of volatile oil in a more practical and economical way than in said firstproc-' ess and any other process known to me.

In the accompanying drawing the single figure shown is a diagrammatic view of one form of an apparatus for practising 'my improve process, said apparatus consisting of a stea boiler 2 having a steam delivery pipe 3 leading to a steam superheater 41 from which the superheated steam is delivered under high pressures from 50 pounds upward to the square inch through pipe 5, and several branch pipes 5' into suitable oil injectors or atomlzers 6 located in the front ends of a series of seperators 7, 8, 9 and 10.

'While I prefer to use steam in practising the process, T might employ air and use apparatus for heating and delivering the air tib at the desired Working temperatures and pressures.

The crude oil is takenfrom a storage tank 11 and forced by a steam pump 12 under a high pressure into the first separator 7 by way 'of a pipe 13 connected with the atomizer 6 of said separator, and a heater 14 of jacket form is connected with. the superheated steam and surrounds a portion of the oil delivery pipe 13. Each separator has a discharge pipe 15 for the residuum precipitated therein during 0 erations, and the discharge pipe 15 from t e first separator 7 leads to and delivers the'residuum to the atomizer 6 of the second separator 8 in the series, while the discharge pipe 15 for separator 8 delivers the residuum of that particular separator to the atomizer 6 of the next separator 9 in the series, and so on dependent upon the number of such separators Patented that $11, 191%.

used. Each separator in the" series has a separate va or discharge connection 16 and a clarifier 1 at its top; also a pressure-regu- ,lating valve 18 in'the branches or lines of pipe 19 leading to a single condenser 20, although a series of separate condensers might be used if desired. Separate receptacles'21 and 22 may be used to receive the volatile oil from condenser and the residual discharge from the pipe 23 of the last separator 10, and a common blow-off pipe connection 24 is also provided for all of the separators so that one or more may be operated or cleaned out at will. The various steam and oil pipe connections are provided with suitable valves wherever needed to con- -'trol the flow of steam and oil for and during operations.

force by pump 12 into the first separator 7 together with su erheated steam, the oil being also preferably heated initiall by heater 14. The superheated steam is elivered under sufficient pressure to atomize the Oll effectively as it enters the separator, and

such introduction of the atomized oil proceeds continuously while the temperature in separator 7 is maintained at about 400 degrees -15. or higher. A constant pressure is also maintained within the separator, but

In ractising the process, the crude oil is A of course not in excess of the pressure of the steam entering through the atomizer 6, and the separators are covered with suitable insulation to avoid' radiationof heat The pressure in the separator is maintained by the pressure-regulating valve 18 above the clarifier 17 which only opens to permit the vapors to escape when a predetermined pressure is exceeded and because the outflow of the residual through ipe 15 to the next separator 8 is restricte and controlled by a valve 15'. The vapors thus obtained pass over pipe 19 to the condenser 20, and the volume or quantity of volatile oil so obtained from the crude oil is greater than by any other method known to me, while the flow of oil and steam thereinto and the vars and residuum therefrom is continuous. l l owev'er, ll have discovered that this amount act of volatile oil may be greatly increased in a are to said first separator, using a second separator 8 but without refiring operations, loss of time, extra labor, or resorting to further pumping and heating of the oil or residuum; and that further material reductions of the residual discharges from the second separator and still other separators will yield still greater percentages of volatile oil until the of hydro-carbon oil is exceedingly high and the cost of reduction relatively low. Specifically, these supplemental steps consist in forcing the residuum of the first separator 7 into the second separator 8 in an atomized condition under the controlled pressure maintained in the chamber of said first separator 7 and beforesaid residuum has cooled. In fact, this residuum is delivered extremely hot as obviously it must be in view of its constant exposure to the temperature of about four hundred degrees F. or higher which is maintained in said first separator. If desired, the steam and oil vapors in separator 7 may be permitted to commingle more or less with the residuum as it is delivered to the atomizer 6 of the second separator 8 in the series. The discharge into the second chamber is under a sustained pressure, and there is a continuous intermixture of the infiowing residuum with a fresh supply of superheated steam furnished to the atomizer 6 of the second separator 8 by branch pipe 5'. In this way, a similar high temperature is maintained in the second I separator as in the first, and the vapor pressure in the chamber of the second separator is maintained at a slightly'reduced working pressure compared with the first by the use of the pressure regulating valve 18 and the valved control at the residual discharge pipe 15. The vapors within the clarifier 17 and the line of pipe 19 connected r with the condenser 20,

the original output of volatile oil to a large 'extent. However, the residuum in the secthereby increasing 'ond separator 8 is capable of further reduction, that is, the residuum may be reduced and additional percentages of volatile oil obtained by repeating the foregoing steps and using similar separators connected in the same line of pressure and Without reprolonged modes of operatfim. When these steps are carried out to their fullest extent Within practicable and commercial limits,

to finish, or higher temperatures might be employed during the final separations. The

yield of volatile oil to any amount.

second separator to prevent undue radiation. 8 are clarified and discharged through the I tion and recovery sortlng to re-firing or other expensive and ing and separating separators ma be of the same size throughout, but I pre er to use separators graduated in size to better promote operations.

Suitable hand operated valves are employed here and there -in the several oil and steam supply pipes as the service may require and by which flow through said pipe can be regulated or controlled, and the location of such valves is preferably according to convenience of approach in a given plant. For example, the branch pipes 5 have control valves (1 to govern the flow of steam to the atomizers, and thedown pipes for the residuum from the separators have control or cut off valves I) below the connection 15 which go to the next separator. Thus, the outflow of the residuum is restricted and requires the force behind it in the preceding chamber to carry the residuum forward into the next chamber. Of course a predetermined working pressure in all the chambers would be impossible without control of the inlets and the outlets.

The separating or decomposing chambers herein are preferably arranged in a row, as shown, with the residual products from a given chamberfiowing under pressure from the bottom thereof to the end of the next chamber and where the residuum is atomized openly into the, body of the chamber in the presence of the maintained pressure therein, which may be fifty pounds to the square inch and upward. Hence, also, the importance of artificial or mechanical pressure behind the oil, as by pump 12 to force the oil into the chamber against the pressure therein. The separating chambers being individual and exposed to the open air, and without external heat, I find it advantageous to cover them heavily with asbestos or the like It is my aim to have substantially the same separating conditions in all the chambers, and since both heat and pressure which come over from a given chamber are more or less diminished in transit the difference can be practically made up by superheated steam forced in through the branch pipes 5 to the atomizers 6 and in which operation the residuum is exposed to the steam under the most favorable conditions possible for atomizaof the contained oil vapors.

The apparatus shown in this application is embodied in my application Serial No. 121,933, filed September 25, 1916.

lVhat I claim is:

The process herein described of decompos; hydro-carbon oils, consisting, first, in atomizingthe oil under pressure by super-heating vapors under pressure. into a suitable chamber in which a uniform pressure of fifty pounds and upward, and uniform temperature of about 400 degrees F. and upward is maintained exclusively by the injected vapors 'and' thereby separating n neteen end then drawing ofi' both products se urately under such control as to emch pro not us will govern the flow and sustain substantisdly the pressure and temperature in suid chamber above specified; and then, as moontinued step in the complete process, forcing the said residmil products into n succeeding chamber by the pressure stored in said first chamber and at the some time injecting superheated we or into the residuum between the charm rs in sumcient volume to thoroughly ntomize the said residue products and to bringthe temperature and pressure in solid succeeding chamber to approxi metely the seporatln condltlons obtained m the first named chum er to volatilize another portion of lighter oils from said residual oil products, and continuing the process through other succeeding chambers;

to. testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GHAIUNGEY FORWARD. Witnesses:

Geo, E. Kmonnn; R. B. Mosnn. 

